Beautifully Flawed
by The Scarlet Sky
Summary: A collection of Yuki x Machi oneshots. Pure fluff, no ending spoilers, and hopefully humor. Requests are welcome and reviews are loved.
1. Chapter 1: Of Course Not

I've decided to make this into a collection of oneshots; apparently, not many people write this pairing. (I've checked it out--the amount of Yuki x Machi was surprisingly low.) I'll accept requests, however I'm trying to make these oneshots fluffy, in-character, and somewhat humorous. Plus, I refuse to spoil the ending for other people. Also, the oneshots all stand alone. It's not a story. (Hence, a collection.)

**Summary: **Yuki has the day to himself...and he stumbles across a friend from school. But how does she react when a certain charismatic brother comes to conclusions about the two?

Disclaimer: Not mine. Nope.

Of Course Not

"Ah, good morning, Yuki," Shigure exclaimed in surprise, looking up from his newspaper. "Or should I say afternoon…Honestly, Yuki-kun, who wakes up at this hour?"

Yuki merely groaned, running his fingers through his silver hair. He had a load of retorts aimed at Shigure's bizarre sleeping habits, but was too tired to say any of them.

"…Where's Honda-san?" he asked instead, looking at the nearly empty house in surprise.

"Oh, she and her little friends decided to spend the day together," Shigure smiled. "Isn't that nice?"

"Somehow, hearing you say that, it sounds like a _bad_ thing," he muttered. "What about Kyo?"

"At the dojo," Shigure explained. "So, it's just you and me!"

Silence.

"I suppose I should just go…" Yuki sighed.

"Whaaat? You're so cold, Yuki!" Shigure pouted. "Is spending time with your cousin really so terrible?"

The door slam answered his question perfectly.

Yuki walked on the sidewalk leisurely, not really sure where he was going or why. It was so rare he had a day to himself like this: if it wasn't his Student Council duties, it was always something else keeping him busy. And now, he couldn't even spend time arguing with Kyo or talking with Tohru.

So, what was he to do with his free time?

"Ah!" Yuki exclaimed in surprise as he felt himself bump into someone. "I'm terribly sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," he apologized with a smile.

The young woman looked up from her groceries and froze as her eyes locked onto his.

"Machi…?" Yuki spoke, startled as he recognized the girl. Yes…it was her. The school uniform was gone and replaced by a plain white blouse and khaki skirt, but there was no doubt. Her dark eyes blinked at him in confusion, and suddenly she shook her head and turned away.

"E-excuse me," she stammered, starting to move past the president.

"Let me help you with that," Yuki offered as he reached towards the bags.

"No, I'm fine," she protested, jerking them away from his grip.

Yuki sighed, seeing his act of kindness was futile. "Well, I guess if you think you can handle it... Are you on your way home?"

"Yes," she answered simply.

"Ah, so you live near here--?"

"Yuuuuuki!" Both of the teens paused at the sound of the over-the-top greeting. And suddenly, Yuki was attacked from behind by a tall figure decked in a purple furisode.

"Oh goodness, Yuki, isn't it a surprise to see you here!" Ayame exclaimed, hugging his brother fondly.

"Nii-san…Let go of me," Yuki protested, pushing him away.

"But isn't it strange that today of all days you decided to stop by my shop?" his brother continued. "Why, I had just said to myself, at this time I believe I would like to eat some gyouza. And then, just as I decided to step outside my humble shop, I see my magnificent brother, Yuki! And—his girlfriend?"

Machi stared at the white-haired man in confusion.

"Stop it," Yuki hissed into his brother's ear. "You have it all wrong, nii-san!"

"Bonjour, mademoiselle," Ayame bowed, winking at the girl. "I am honored to meet a lovely young lady such as yourself. To have captured the heart of my dearest Yuki, you must be quite a talented woman."

"I'm…sorry?" Machi replied, struck by the strange suggestion spoken by this man in a furisode.

"Machi, please don't listen to my brother," Yuki insisted. "He can be unbearable at times—"

"Ah, so Machi is your name?" Ayame realized, smiling. "I am Ayame Sohma, older brother of little Yuki. I specialize in creating the finest costumes for women, from nurse uniforms to maid outfits, from sailor suits to—"

"Didn't you have to be going home, Machi?" Yuki interrupted, glaring at his brother.

"You…made the costumes for the play, didn't you?" Machi spoke softly, ignoring Yuki's desperate plea. "And the day of the parent teacher conference…you came to the Student Council room."

"My, Yuki!" Ayame grinned. "She certainly has an excellent memory. But then again, who could forget someone as charismatic as myself? Unfortunately, I must bid you both adieu. As the manager of my establishment, I must keep within the limits my lunch break permits. But before I part…"

Ayame took Machi's hand and placed a small slip of paper in her palm.

"A special offer, just for you!" the costume designer laughed. "50 percent off any one item. Nothing is too fine for Yuki's little girlfriend!"

"For the last time, she is not my--!"

"Ah-ah!" Ayame silenced him. "No need to thank me. I bestow gifts when I see fit. Ta-ta, you love birds! Farewell!"

As Ayame strutted off, Yuki looked away, his face incredibly pale.

"Machi, I—I am so sorry. He can get the most bizarre ideas, and I just—What can I do about that idiot?" he sighed.

A strange little sound emitted from Machi, and Yuki turned to see her in surprise.

"Did you just…laugh?" he accused, shocked.

"Don't be ridiculous," she scoffed, walking away. "Of course not."

But the tiny grin tucked away on the corner of her blank expression told him otherwise.


	2. Chapter 2: Icing on the Cake

**Summary**: The Student Council undertakes managing a bake sale. However, they soon find out that when you throw together sugar, spice, and everything nice, you don't always end up with a sweet result.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Nor will it ever be.

Icing on the Cake

As Machi approached the student council room, the loud din of arguing teenagers reached her ears. Pausing at the door, she creaked it open to reveal a somewhat comical scene. There was her idiot half-brother, his face full of—cookies, was it? Pouting, Kimi stood before Kakeru, and from what Machi could tell, the black-haired beauty was the one causing all the ruckus.

"Nooo! Those were Yun-Yun's cookies, Kakeru!" she complained, letting out a whine. "Kimi made them especially for him!"

"But Kimi, you said I could try one," Kakeru added, his voice barely audible through his face full of food.

"Kimi said one, not all of them! Give them back, you meanie!"

"…I thought the point of having a bake-sale was to actually sell the desserts, not eat them," Nao muttered, glaring darkly at the two. Machi entered the room silently, not really caring one way or the other about her half-brother's plight. She sat herself down beside Naohito and began to un-straighten the pile of papers on the desk. Something about the perfectly organized files irked her, and she couldn't help shuffling them up a bit.

"Gerroff me, Kimi!" Kakeru begged as she began to pry his mouth open with her fingers. "It's too late to save the cookies!" Of course, no one could understand what he was saying, so it didn't matter all that much.

And, at this very awkward moment, Yuki stepped in.

The president eyed the scene with a bizarre contentment, as if by now he expected the Student Council to be full of nothing but utter chaos. There was Kakeru and Kimi, arguing—no surprise there; Nao was complaining like usual, and Machi was making a mess.

Yuki sighed. Yup, just a normal day at the Student Council room.

"Yun-Yun!" Kimi squealed as she let go of the unfortunate Kakeru and ran towards the president. "Did you bring sweets for Kimi?"

"…I brought goods for the bake sale, but nothing for you, Kimi," Yuki admitted. "I thought that we were supposed to be raising money with the treats we baked."

"Finally!" Nao exclaimed. "_Someone_ knows what a bake sale is!"

"Chill, Nao, would you?" Kakeru groaned, rubbing his jaw gingerly. "So Yun-Yun, where are the goods? You didn't sleep in and forget, did you?"

"No," Yuki replied, somewhat annoyed. "I thought we were putting them in the home ec room for later. They have a fridge if we need it."

Everyone shot Kakeru dirty looks.

"Geez, you forget one little detail and suddenly the whole world is against you," he sighed. "Lighten up, would you guys?"

"How could you forget that?" Nao accused. "What if we had something that needed to be refrigerated? Then we'd be in trouble! What kind of vice president _are_ you?"

"Chibi-suke, for starters, nothing had to be refrigerated, so why worry about it?" Kakeru shrugged. "And second, we can just carry them over to the room. No biggie."

Kakeru's relaxed attitude did nothing to calm down poor Nao. "But who's going to file all the papers for the bake sale?!" the secretary insisted. "If _someone_ hadn't put them off until the last minute, we'd be done by now!"

"I have a bright idea," Kakeru replied with a cocky grin. "If it's so important, then why don't _you_ stay behind and file them?"

"Maybe I will!" Nao huffed, turning to Machi and yanking the papers from her grasp. "Kuragi, what are you doing?! I had all those sorted!"

"…Why don't we split up?" Yuki suggested. "Half of us can stay here with Nao and sort papers and the other half can come with me to the home ec room."

"Fine!" Nao relented. "But make _him_ stay here with me! He's caused enough trouble as it is."

Kakeru groaned as Yuki agreed to Nao's demand.

"He's an underclassman, Yun-Yun!" the vice-president complained. "You shouldn't be listening to him!"

"Nao's done more work than the rest of us put together, though," Yuki reminded him.

"Thank you!" the secretary exclaimed. "_Someone_ realizes all the work I do around here!"

"Chibi-suke, you're so whiny," Kimi commented, crossing her arms. "Kimi thinks you should be nicer."

"Excuse me?!"

Sensing a stirring conflict between the two, Yuki quickly intervened. "Alright, Kimi and Machi, come with me."

Machi looked up briefly before getting up from her desk in silence. Kimi clapped her hands excitedly.

"Will do, Yun-Yun! Kimi _loves_ to help!" she giggled. "Oh, could you carry this for Kimi, please?"

"Alright," Yuki sighed, taking the plate of cookies from her. "Now let's go—"

"This one, too? Pretty, pretty please?"

The president managed to balance a box of cupcakes in his other hand without dropping the plate in the other.

"Oh, oh! And this, too--!"

"KIMI!" Yuki shouted, his head barely visible from behind the cookies, cupcakes, and pineapple upside-down cake.

She jumped a bit, then smiled cutely. "Oh, Yun-Yun, is that too much for you? Why didn't you say so! Kimi doesn't mind helping."

"Help…would be nice," he sighed. "Could you carry one of these, please?"

"Of course!" Kimi chirped. She turned to the first-year behind her and said, "Machi, could you carry one of the boxes for Yun-Yun?"

"Kimi, you're being rude--!"

But Machi took the box of cupcakes without protest.

The three student council members started towards the home ec room in a steady procession—Kimi leading as she skipped along the corridor, her arms swinging emptily by her side.

In the back, Machi and Yuki were carrying the last of the baked goods. For a while, neither spoke, but Yuki occasionally glanced her way. She never made eye contact.

"So…" Yuki began, clearing his throat. "What did you make for the bake sale, Machi?"

She lowered her head and mumbled something.

"I'm sorry?" Yuki replied, straining to hear her.

"I said brownies!" she snapped, then as she made eye contact her cheeks turned red and she looked away hurriedly in embarrassment. "Just…brownies."

"Oh, really? I haven't seen any brownies."

"…I smashed them. Against the kitchen table."

Yuki sweat-dropped. "O-oh. That's…too bad."

Machi didn't care to reply.

"We're heeeere!" Kimi exclaimed, stopping in front of a classroom door. "The home ec room!"

Machi and Yuki waited outside the door as Kimi stood there obliviously.

"…Kimi?" Yuki began. "Could you, um, open the door?"

"Yun-Yun, don't you know anything?! Ladies first!" she announced. "You should open the door for Kimi and Machi!"

"My hands are kind of full…" the president sighed.

"Meanie," Kimi pouted as she opened the door. As she entered, the girl twirled about and breathed in deeply. "It smells so good in here! Yun-Yun, where's your food?"

Yuki put the plate of cookies and the upside-down cake on the counter. "It's over there," he gestured vaguely. "Under the tin foil."

Kimi bounded over to a cake covered in said tin foil and unwrapped it eagerly.

"Kimi, it's for the bake sale!" Yuki protested. "Don't look at it now!"

Of course, she ignored him. "Oooh, it looks so pretty, Yun-Yun!" she gushed, staring at the confection covered in white icing, complete with strawberries.

"Does it?" he asked, walking over to the cake. "Honda-san had to help me a bit with the icing…My cousin said I was making too much of a mess in his kitchen as it was."

"I bet you're a really good cook, huh, Yun-Yun?" Kimi smiled.

"Er…I wouldn't say that…"

Machi leaned against the counter, eavesdropping now that she had delivered the cupcakes. As Kimi began to ramble on about something random, Machi stared idly at the cake, and suddenly found a familiar urge rekindling itself within her.

The perfectly round shape, the perfectly spread icing, the perfectly placed strawberries—it all screamed of flawless beauty. Machi detested perfection. No, she abhorred it—loathed it—it simply irritated her to no end.

But no, Machi would not release her frustration on the cake. It was, after all, the president's creation, and she would not lay a finger on it. She was a reasonable human being; she could control her emotions. Though that cake…that cake, it just…it bugged the heck out of her!

Without realizing it, Machi began to step towards the dessert. Yuki and Kimi were both oblivious to her advance, but Machi's hands began to tremble as she approached the overly prefect confection. Before she knew it, she was standing right in front of the despicable thing.

Her hands tightened into fists.

"Machi?"

She froze at the sound of the president's voice. Thankfully her back was to him, or else he would have seen the mortified look written upon her face.

No…no, she couldn't ruin the cake. Despite its perfection, she would just have to deal with it. Nothing was worth the embarrassment it would cost her. Turning away from the sugary treat, Machi started to walk towards Kimi and Yuki—when she slipped, fell, and crashed onto the once-whole cake.

If Kakeru were there, he would have burst out laughing.

"Oh my goodness, what a mess!" Kimi exclaimed shrilly.

"Machi?! Machi, are you alright?" Yuki insisted, helping the treasurer up. She blinked at him from under a layer of icing and licked the remnants of the cake from her lips.

"It's…" she began, her eyes widening. "It's disgusting."

"Excuse me?"

"The cake…the cake, it's…like ash in my mouth," Machi explained, somehow overjoyed at this discovery. "Not perfect…at all."

Yuki shrugged helplessly. "What can I say? I suppose even with Honda-san's help, I'm still a lousy cook. But look at all this icing…Kimi, why don't you take Machi to the restroom to clean her up?"

"Will do, Yun-Yun!" Kimi smiled, dragging Machi along with her.

However, the treasurer's thoughts were elsewhere. All the perfection that she had been dreading, that sickly sweet perfection—it had all been an illusion. Deep inside, under all the layers of icing, was a real flaw—a real mistake.

Perhaps...under all that icing..._he_, too, was hiding a mistake.

And yet, Machi preferred her cake that way.

* * *

**End Note: **I'm not Japanese. So, if the desserts you find in here wouldn't be found in a Japanese bake sale, I'm sorry. If anyone would like to suggest alternate dessert choices, please do so. I'm not afraid of criticism. 


	3. Chapter 3: A Single Blue Umbrella

**Summary**: No one likes a rainy day. Unless, of course, it includes reluctant protests, blushing in embarrassment, and a single blue umbrella.

Disclaimer: Guess what? I still don't own it.

A Single Blue Umbrella

The clouds stained the sky with their ink-like color, letting loose water from the heavens. As raindrops slid off of the roof of the high school, they fell onto the puddle-strewn sidewalk with a satisfied _plip-plop_. While the sky was bereft of lightning and thunder, the amount of water made up for both ten-fold.

Unfortunately for the president and his treasurer, this very afternoon they had to brave the weather on their way home.

Yuki, for one, had mixed feelings on the matter; his garden desperately needed the rain, but at the same time, he was loathe to get soaked. Meanwhile Machi was staring at the sky in blank wonder, as if she found the gray canopy of clouds to be a fascinating work of art.

"Rotten weather, isn't it?" Yuki stated, his hands clasping onto the handle of his umbrella. "This was a bad day to stay late for student council, huh, Machi? The others got off easy—I knew I should've left earlier."

She blinked and nodded slowly. "…It's cold," she added softly. "The rain, I mean."

"We haven't even left the shelter of the building, Machi."

"Still. Somehow, every time it rains, the wind grows colder…I start shivering."

Yuki stared at Machi, and after a few moments did notice that she was shaking slightly. "So, you don't like the rain?"

"I never said that."

"But you said—"

"I said it was cold. I never said I didn't like it."

Giving up on trying to understand her meaning, Yuki sighed and looked at the daunting path before him. The rain showed no signs of letting up, however, so Yuki opened his umbrella and started to go forward. Then, he paused and turned to Machi, who remained motionless.

"Didn't you bring an umbrella?"

She shook her head, her hands empty at her sides.

Yuki cocked his head at her in wonder; how could she not know that it would rain today? The weather forecaster had predicted 85 percent chance of rain this afternoon, and that had seemed a good enough reason for Yuki to bring one with him to school.

Besides, if he hadn't, Tohru certainly would have remembered to bring one for him.

"Well," Yuki sighed, "how far away do you live?"

"I can walk there," was her curt response.

"That doesn't exactly answer my question, Machi," Yuki insisted. "I meant, do you want me to take you home?"

A light pink color appeared on Machi's pale face, and she murmured, "I'll be fine by myself."

"Are you sure?" Yuki persisted.

"I said I'll be fine."

That didn't satisfy him, and seeing as he couldn't leave until he could somehow help Machi, Yuki began to contemplate a solution. "At least take my umbrella," he offered, handing the blue parasol to her. "I don't want you to be drenched out there."

His act of kindness further embarrassed Machi, and she replied, "N-no. I don't…need it."

"It's really pouring, though. Machi, it's fine. You can take it."

"I don't want it."

"Machi, I don't mind—"

"No, keep it."

They passed the blue umbrella back and forth until finally it was thrust into Yuki's hands once again. Sighing in defeat, he backed down and kept the umbrella to himself.

"…Well, I guess there's only one thing I can do," he relented, dropping the umbrella on the floor. "I'll have to walk out there without an umbrella as well."

Machi stared at him. "What's the point of that?"

"You can go home without an umbrella, right?" Yuki told her. "Well, then so can I."

"…You make no sense."

Yuki laughed, finding Machi's statement to be ironic. Machi didn't find it to be very amusing, and looked at him in confusion.

"It's your umbrella," she mumbled. "Shouldn't you use it?"

"I wouldn't feel right," he admitted. "Leaving you all alone in the rain while I had an umbrella would be rude."

"No, it wouldn't."

"Either you have an umbrella, or neither of us do."

"You…" Machi shook her head at him in puzzlement. "But if I have an umbrella, then what will you have? Either way, you walk in the rain. We don't have two umbrellas."

"That's true," Yuki smiled. "The only way for us to both have an umbrella would be if we shared one."

He'd meant for the statement to be humorous, but as soon as he said it, Yuki found that he was seriously considering the possibility. Machi was as well, and her cheeks were blushing at how ridiculous the whole ordeal was. All this fuss because of a little rain and an umbrella? Really, she didn't mind getting wet. She wouldn't melt or anything.

"How far away do you live again?" Yuki asked, picking up the umbrella. Machi gave him an incredulous look.

"I—Not far," she muttered, sighing. "A few blocks away."

"Well, I can take you there on the way home," he smiled.

"N-no!" Machi protested; the idea of Yuki coming to her house terrified her. What if her parents saw him walking her home--?

"No?" Yuki repeated. "I suppose we could go half-way and split up…"

Machi nodded, realizing just how easily her defenses had crumbled. Why was she agreeing to this again?

They walked in silence--the harmonious sound of the falling rain seemed to say everything while they both said nothing. Neither knew why there was something comforting about the quiet, why it was that they felt comfortable merely in each other's company.

Machi, for one, was still blushing, trying to keep up with the president's pace. She had heard about how fast he sprinted in gym; now, walking beside him, she was starting to believe the myths about the athlete beside her.

Yuki glanced Machi's way, and, knowing her face was beet red, she avoided his gaze. It wasn't much further to her house now; they'd been walking for a while, and the street sign near her house was already coming into view.

She paused, and Yuki realized that this was Machi's stop. As they parted, Machi found the umbrella unexpected pushed into her hands. She blinked, a thousand objections rising in her throat.

"Stay dry, okay?" Yuki told her with a smile, her silver hair already plastered to his face by the torrent of rain.

Machi's fingers closed around the handle of the umbrella and she shook her head. "But you need this—"

"Keep it, Machi. I'll be fine," he insisted, starting off towards Shigure's home in the rain. "Really, I don't need it."

After all, it was Kyo's umbrella, anyway.


	4. Chapter 4: Sweet Aromas

**Summary: **Machi never really took much pride in her appearance…but when she decides to spray on a hint of perfume, she suddenly realizes just how self-conscious she is. Maybe vanity's not all it's cracked up to be.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Nor is Power Rangers. (This will be explained later…)

Sweet Aromas

To this day, Machi doesn't know what possessed her to do it.

The small crystal vial sparkled at her from under the morning sunlight, sending tiny rainbows cascading across her mirror. Some fancy, almost French, looking script had been etched onto the bottle's surface—apparently it was part of some European brand. Not that Machi cared enough to know; the perfume had been given to her as a gift some years ago.

And for awhile, it had sat there, gathering dust and remaining nothing more than another piece of junk covering her dresser. Paper, books, and other assorted rubbish sat juxtaposed to the proud little perfume bottle, which waited eagerly for the day its mistress would open it.

And for some reason, one day, she did.

She wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for the fact that her homework was treacherously close to falling off of her dresser; by chance, her history report was covering the expensive little vial. As she plucked her homework from its precarious position, a shimmer of light caught her eye. Furrowing her brow in surprise, Machi picked up the perfume cautiously, as if forgetting how she had obtained such a thing. She turned it under the soft glow of the overhead light, admiring the many facets of its shape.

It was a lovely little trinket, really. Shame it had been wasted on someone as opposed to vanity as herself. If Kimi had been given such a gift as this, Machi knew the bottle would be at least half-empty by now.

Yes…the vial was nothing but a pretty container, containing some expensive scent that Machi neither recognized nor cared about. Perhaps it would be best to just put it back on the dresser where it belonged. Perhaps.

A curious gleam sparkled in her dark eyes, and suddenly Machi thought, 'Why waste it? Why not use it, just this once? Why not? No one will notice. No one cares what I wear, anyway.'

The perfume trembled in her grip, but, biting her lip, Machi willed herself to try the exquisite thing if only for curiosity's sake.

A quick spray and the deed was done.

Grabbing her book-bag and slinging it over her shoulder, Machi fled out the door to face whatever the school day had ahead of her.

Of course, no one would notice. It was merely one spray of perfume, after all.

"Do you smell that?"

Machi froze in her desk, her pencil slipping out of her grasp. Her eyes were widening to the size of baseballs, and her poor frantic heart was beating a mile a minute.

A whole day. She had lasted a whole day, and now, in the student council room, the scent had been finally been detected. And by her own half-wit of a brother, no less.

Kakeru lifted his head high and took in another, deep sniff. "I dunno, guys, there's something strange about the room today. It smells…weird."

"Kimi smells it, too," the black-haired secretary agreed, bobbing her head up and down in agreement. "It's smells pretty!"

Yuki cocked his head at the two and shrugged. "I don't really smell anything…" he admitted, returning to his work.

No one noticed that in the back, a certain treasurer was slowly sliding into her desk, covering her scarlet face with a folder.

"Think with your heads, not your noses!" Nao snapped. "We have work to do; if you want to spend your time sniffing roses, join the garden club!"

"Nuh-uh," Kakeru disagreed, shaking his head. "It doesn't smell like roses. It's…different. I know I've smelled this before—gah, why can't I think of the name?!"

"It'll come to you," Yuki replied calmly, alphabetizing the files that Machi had disorganized last meeting. "Anyone know where the last folder is? I've only counted twenty-four…there were twenty-five in this pile yesterday."

"Cinnamon? No, no, what about vanilla? That's wrong, too! Kimi, help me out, would ya?" Kakeru begged, leaning back into his chair with a sigh.

The secretary propped her hands on her desk and began to hum in thought. "I think it's a fruit," she decided finally. "It smells fruity!"

"Yeah, that sounds right," Kakeru nodded. "The question is, what fruit? I know the flavor--it's from this brand name company. I know the name, but it escapes me…Yo, Machi! You have any ideas?"

She shook her head "no" from behind her folder, which earned her a blank stare from her amused brother.

"…You have a zit or something, Machi?" he asked, which only caused her to cower more behind her manila shield. Why, she berated herself, did she _ever_ put on that ridiculous perfume? It was a pompous, overly-feminine, conceited object, and why Machi had decided to forsake her invisibility for it was beyond her.

"Oh, oh! What about cherry?" Kimi suggested, taking in the scent once again.

"What about we actually work as a _team_ for once?" Nao retorted.

Kakeru shrugged. "We never officially decided colors yet. We can't be a true School Defense Force until we decide team colors."

"Are you still going on about that?!"

"How about grape?" Kimi continued, oblivious to the argument. "Or banana---oooh, no, not banana. It's more---strawberry."

"Wait!" Everyone paused at the vice-president's exclamation. He pointed a finger at Kimi and started towards her, a delirious grin spread across his face. "What did you say?"

Kimi shrugged. "Strawberry?"

"Berry!" Kakeru exclaimed in delight. "Yeah, that's it! That's _it_!"

"…We've stopped working because you smelled something berry?" Nao remarked dryly.

"Hold on a sec, chibi-suke, I think I've solved the mystery," Kakeru interrupted, wheeling about to face Machi's and the president's desks. He took in another deep sniff, then laughed again. "Man, I've really got it this time!"

Kimi jumped up and down in excitement. "Tell us, tell us!"

Yuki rolled his eyes and Nao followed suit, both attempting to get some sort of work accomplished.

God, why couldn't Kakeru have just let the matter drop.

Machi prayed fervently for a miracle. The last thing she wanted, by all means, was to be singled out for wearing such a gaudy thing as perfume.

Especially in front of—

"Yun-Yun! It's Yun-Yun!" Kakeru grinned, coming over and taking in another big whiff by the president's side. "Come over here, Kimi, smell his hair."

The folder came down a bit, revealing a pair of very confused eyes. Machi blinked again; had Kakeru really said what she thought he had?

"…What are you talking about?" Yuki protested, tapping his fingers on the desk impatiently. "It's just hair."

"Oh my goodness, it _is_ Yun-Yun's smell!" Kimi squealed.

"Yun-Yun, you didn't tell me you use Berrylicious Breezes shampoo!" Kakeru exclaimed.

"Berry…what?" Nao stammered, eyeing the president warily.

"Berrylicious Breezes, for silky smooth hair with a tropical punch," Kakeru announced in commercial-like format. "Makes hair up to fifty-percent smoother with daily use. Safe for both natural and colored-hair, not tested on animals."

Kimi gasped. "Yun-Yun, you use _girl_ shampoo?!"

"Well, he looks like a girl, so he has to shampoo like one, too," Kakeru teased, putting his arm around the president's shoulder. "He's just a natural, old man, fruity princess."

"…I'm gonna send you flying," Yuki threatened, shoving a laughing Kakeru away.

"I'm more worried about the fact that Manabe knows so much about girl's shampoo," Nao muttered, shaking his head in disapproval.

"My mom uses it," the vice-president explained, putting his arms behind his head. "Plus, the commercials for it are on during Power-Rangers!"

"Should I be more concerned about the fact that you memorized the whole shampoo commercial, or that you still watch Power-Rangers?" Nao inquired with a smirk.

Kakeru gasped in mock hurt. "Dude, Power-Rangers rule! Classics never die."

"_Classic_? You call that show _classic_?!"

Ignoring the squabble between Nao and Kakeru, Kimi turned to Yuki.

"Why don't you always smell this nice, Yun-Yun?" Kimi asked the president as he began to leave his desk. "Kimi likes it!"

"To be honest," he sighed, "I ran out of my shampoo and had to borrow some of Hon—I mean, some of a _relative's_ shampoo. I didn't really think about it, I just used it."

"So you won't be using it anymore?" Kimi pouted as she walked away. "Booo!"

A few desks away, the treasurer felt her anxieties slowly melt away. The sweat of anxiety still rested upon her brow, but wiping it away, Machi attempted to regain a sense of dignity. She'd been lucky; if she ever tried anything so ridiculously stupid again, the president might actually be using normal shampoo. And that was a risk she wasn't willing to take again.

"Hey, Machi," Yuki called, waking the girl from her state of shock and relief. Her heartbeat began to speed up again, and his casual smile did nothing to ease her panic.

"Could you hand me that folder? The one on your desk?"

Machi stared at him dumbly before the information registered; then, hurriedly, she grabbed the manila folder and handed it to him. He hadn't noticed, he hadn't noticed, everything was fine and as it should be. So why were her hands still shaking?

She was rewarded with yet another dazzling smile as Yuki took the folder from her.

"Thanks," he nodded, putting it under his arm. "And oh, by the way—are you wearing perfume?"

Tremors of fear coupled with embarrassment traveled up Machi's spine, and her mouth opened to produce no sound.

Against her will, she nodded, a lump rising in her throat.

"It smells nice," Yuki told her, putting his hands through his hair as he looked away awkwardly at the wall. "Really… Especially compared to my Berrylicious Breezes."

An involuntary smile made its way across Machi's lips as she laughed silently to herself, her giggles coming out as little coughs instead. "I…don't think it's so bad," she murmured. "The shampoo, I mean."

"That's kind of you to say," Yuki replied, turning to her once again. "But I don't know if I'll ever feel like using anything 'berrylicious' again…Kakeru will never let me live this down."

Again, Machi coughed a stifled laugh.

The moment was interrupted by a loud crash as Kakeru's desk was knocked over amidst the on-going quarrel.

"Chibi-suke, you're just jealous because I'm the black ranger!" Kakeru shouted, flinging papers at the secretary. "Everyone knows black is the coolest!"

"What are you talking about—wait, no, not those papers! Manabe, you're worse than Kuragi!" Nao yelled back. "Stop goofing off!"

"I suppose I should go referee," Yuki sighed, leaving Machi's side. "Nao, Kakeru! Calm down."

"Princess, this isn't your kingdom—"

"Shut up!"

Machi smiled to herself as she closed her eyes, letting out a deep, relieved sigh. It had all been so pointless—the nagging self-conscious doubts, the panic attack, the perfume--all of it had been so ridiculously senseless. Who cared if she decided to wear perfume? Who would condemn her for it? In fact, maybe tomorrow she'd open the crystal bottle and dare to wear the scent once more.

Then again, maybe it was just the smell of "Berrylicious Breezes" messing with her head.

Just maybe.

* * *

**End Note**: Yes…that one was random…but inspiration strikes when you least expect it. Special thanks to _Celebrian Tinuviel_ for her helpful advice! Hopefully my descriptions improved somewhat this round. (By the way, Berrylicious Breezes is not a real shampoo. In case you didn't notice, I just made it up. XD) 


	5. Chapter 5: Cell Phone Chaos

**Summary: **Cell phones are considered wonderful inventions…but alas, there is an evil to every good. Especially when a mischievous vice-president is involved. Perhaps Yuki should stick to postage stamps and e-mail.

Disclaimer: Still not mine. And I still don't own Power Rangers. Or is it Super Sentai? Curse my lack of Japanese knowledge! (is American)

Cell Phone Chaos

Yuki hated cell phones.

He didn't always, of course; in the beginning, he found them to be quite useful. But that was before he'd suffered their curse. Or rather, before he gave Kakeru his number.

"Only use it for emergencies," Yuki reminded him as Kakeru handed him back the phone. "Alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, got it, Yun-Yun," the vice-president replied half-heartedly. "Hey, did you know you can personalize the ring for each person on your caller list?"

"Well—"

"Don't worry, Yun-Yun, I already did it for you," Kakeru winked. "I gave myself the coolest ring-tone ever; if you want, I can change everyone else's, too."

Yuki blinked. "How…did you do that?" he asked, a feeling of dread looming over him. "Actually, better question: how do you fix it?"

"Fix it?!" Kakeru exclaimed. "Yun-Yun, I upgraded your boring phone with cool special features and you want to change them?! That's cold."

"At least tell me what ring you chose," Yuki persisted. "Don't tell me that it's…not appropriate?"

"No worries," Kakeru grinned. "You'll love it, Yun-Yun. Just wait and see."

And unfortunately, that was all he _could_ do.

As the day wore on, however, Yuki soon forgot about the incident; homework and student council duties both ate up his time. When things finally slowed down, Yuki was gathered at the dinner table with Tohru, Kyo, and Shigure. The only thing on his mind was how delicious Tohru's shougayaki smelled, and the cell phone crisis was completely forgotten.

That is, until the phone in his pocket began ringing.

"_Go, go, Power-Rangers!"_

Everyone paused, and Yuki's face paled as he searched his pockets fervently for the blasted thing.

"_Go, go, Power-Rangers!"_

"What the heck was _that_?" Kyo exclaimed, voicing everyone's feelings rather bluntly.

Yuki's fingers finally clasped the phone's sleek surface and opened it hurriedly. "Hello?" he answered, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"_Yun-Yun!_" the voice on the other end shouted. "_How do you like your awesome ring-tone?_"

"Kakeru…this isn't the best time," Yuki sighed as Shigure went "tsk tsk" from across the table. "And why did you give me such a weird ring-tone…?"

"_Whaa? Weird?! But isn't it cool, like a ninja?_" Kakeru insisted.

"A—a ninja?" Yuki repeated into the phone. "If a ninja had a theme song, wouldn't he get caught?"

"_Oh, good call. Actually, Yun-Yun, I'm about to have dinner, and I can't really talk then. That'd be rude to talk while having dinner, ya know."_

"No kidding," Yuki seethed, while Kyo shot him death glares.

"_See ya, Yun-Yun!" _

**beep**

Yuki closed the phone, and looked up to see Shigure, Tohru, and Kyo all staring at him.

"Ninjas?" Kyo repeated. "What the hell?"

"I'm surprised at you, Yuki," Shigure sighed. "And to think our wonderful Tohru slaved over this meal, and you were rude enough to talk on the phone while we were supposed to partake in its delicious splendor."

Tohru blushed. "I—I don't mind. Really. It wasn't too hard to cook…"

"Don't let that rat walk all over you!" Kyo snapped. "Thinks he's better than everyone else, so he can be as rude as he wants—"

"That's not true," Yuki interrupted, turning to Tohru. "Honda-san, I really am sorry that my phone rang—"

"Oh, no! Don't be!" she insisted. "If it was something important, then I understand. I wouldn't want to intrude."

"But he can intrude on _you_?" Kyo retorted, glaring at Yuki. "And I don't think there's anything important about ninjas. And Power Rangers? What the hell?"

"Really, Yuki," Shigure tut-tutted, "if you must have a cell phone, use it properly. You should apologize to Tohru—"

"I did!" Yuki exasperated, but his outburst only served to make Shigure shake his head.

"Must you get so worked up? Honestly, you're beginning to act like Kyo—"

"Hey!" the orange-top called. "What's that supposed to mean?! Don't compare me to that rat!"

And with a sigh, Yuki resumed eating shougayaki. Tomorrow would be a new day, and he could recover from this embarrassing incident.

Or not.

* * *

"Where is that stupid woman?"

Yuki blinked sleepily; why Hiro and Kisa had decided to show up this early in the morning was beyond him. If he had any say in the matter, the rat knew he'd still be sleeping soundly in his bed.

Too bad a certain loud _sheep_ woke him up.

Hiro put his hands on his hips and sighed. "Really, we come all the way here, and she doesn't even show up. Is she stuck-up or something? Too good to see a couple of kids? I hate snobby people. And to think we chose to come here and watch the newest Mogeta anime with _her_, and she doesn't even bother to say hello. Talk about conceited."

"I…I'm sure she's coming, Hiro-chan," Kisa assured him softly. "Onee-chan wouldn't do something like that."

"Then why isn't she here?"

"What are you two doing here?" Yuki murmured, wiping the sleep from his eyes. Then the word 'Mogeta' clicked in his mind, and he sighed. Figured. Just another reason to avoid watching poorly scripted anime.

The patter of footsteps reached their ears, as a loud cry of, "Sorry I'm late!" sounded from a very anxious, very penitent Tohru. She waved the DVD in her hands and, panting, approached the two children. "I'm truly sorry, Kisa-chan. I—I couldn't find the movie somehow, and I didn't mean to keep you waiting—!"

"Well, you _did_!" Hiro huffed. "Honestly, how does someone lose a new DVD? I bet you're one of those people who never organizes anything, just leaves things lying around and never thinks to put anything where it belongs. Like a slob. I hate lazy people."

Tohru released another flurry of apologies, and Yuki stiffened; that description fit _him_ better than he would have liked. Then Kisa interceded, and with her quiet voice, Hiro was convinced to mumble out an insincere apology, and so the trio finally popped in their movie.

"Yuki-kun, you can watch it with us, if you'd like," Tohru offered, scooting to make room on the couch. Yuki smiled, and figured, why not? The couch was as good a place to sit as any. Besides, going back to bed wouldn't help him wake up at all, and the last thing he needed was to get even drowsier.

Unfortunately, he did.

Eventually, all the not-so-witty lines, the occasional gasps of Tohru and Kisa, and the deadpan commentary complimentary of Hiro blended together into an unorthodox lullaby, and Yuki felt his head sink deeper in the cushions of the couch. It was soft…he'd have to ask Shigure what fabric this was…it would only be five minutes of sleep…

"_Go, go, Power Rangers!"_

"AHH!"

With a deafening thud, Yuki fell to ground, and the phone in his pocket continued to buzz and sing at an even more obnoxious volume than before.

"Yuki-kun, are you alright?!" Tohru exclaimed, helping him up as he picked up the phone, muttering something that sounded like, "Stupid, stupid, stupid Kakeru!"

"Um, Yuki, are you--?"

He flipped open the phone and growled, "Hello?"

"_Sup, el presidente?"_

"You didn't turn off your phone?" Hiro gawked. "Aren't you supposed to be the president at your school? What kind of responsible president goes around leaving his cell phone on during a movie?"

"What is it now?" Yuki barked, ignoring the sheep's bleating. "It had better be important."

"_Chill, Yun-Yun, chill! Of course it is. You see, I'm going on this date with Komaki, and—_"

"Why do you need my help about going on a date?" he exasperated.

"I mean, come on, that's like the rudest thing a person can do!" Hiro continued. "Having their cell phone on during a concert, or a movie, or a show is just plain disrespectful. At least have it on silent! And what kind of adolescent ringtone is that? _Power Rangers_?!"

"_So, since you're the girly one and all, I was wondering if I could have a few suggestions on what to look for at the mall."_

Yuki groaned. "You want me to help suggest clothes for you to buy?"

"_No, Yun-Yun! For Komaki!"_

He blinked, mildly interested. "For Komaki?"

"_Of course! You'd think I'd ask _you_ for advice on guy's clothes?!"_

He stared, speechless, and let his fingers promptly shut the phone closed. Yuki moaned, rubbing his temples and letting himself sink deeper into the couch than he had before. He needed sleep so bad right now—who cared about waking up before noon anymore?

"Well, finally! I thought you'd never turn that thing off," the young boy exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how stupidly immature it is to leave your phone on? And with a little kid's ringtone! Aren't you in high school? Don't you know better? I hate irresponsible people."

"Hiro."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." And he snuggled even closer to the cushions.

* * *

"Class, who can tell me about last week's assignment?" Mayuko-sensei eyed her students expectantly, and found to her disappointment the same batch of half-sleep students she had seen last week. Why, even that silver-haired Sohma-boy couldn't keep his eyes open. Normally, he was the brightest of the bunch.

"How about you, Hanajima?" she asked, grasping at straws.

The girl blinked, looking up from her book blankly. She let one pale finger play with her braid as she stared into space thoughtfully, a flicker of intelligence sparkling in her dark eyes. "I," she announced finally, "have no idea."

Great. Another face to look forward to seeing in summer school.

"Lemme help you out, Hana," Arisa offered, leaning back in her seat. "We had to read some more of that novel, right? The one about the girl and the guy and…you know, stuff happened."

"Could you be more specific?" Mayuko asked—begged.

"Uh…" She laughed. "Got me. I'm bad at names."

Man, did Mayuko hate the first days of the week. A bunch of braindead students meant she'd have to explain everything, and to be honest, she wished that _she_ was the one who could sleep on top of her desk.

"Can anyone, anyone at all, tell me the name of the book we're reading?" she exasperated.

Silence. And then:

"_Go, go, Power Rangers!"_

Faces turned from one to the other—"Is that your cell phone?" "Mine's off." "Is it hers?"—while meanwhile poor Yuki Sohma tumbled from his desk to the ground in surprise.

Spitting out a stream of expletives, he reached into his backpack and brought out the stupid, annoying, shiny little thing. "What now?!" he screamed into the speaker.

"…_Is this a bad time?"_

"Yes!" Yuki shouted; lack of sleep and acute embarrassment were slowly but surely causing his patience to wane. "They're all bad times! I'm in class, Kakeru! _Class_!"

"_So…I guess I'll talk to you later about how that date went?"_

"Later would be good. Never would be better."

"_Harsh much? You'll get wrinkles if you keep getting worked up like that. Look, my bad, I'll let you go. See you later, okay? Sheesh."_

**beep**

"Sohma, that's your phone?" Mayuko exclaimed, honestly surprised.

"Heh, whaddaya know, the Prince likes Power Rangers!" Arisa grinned. "And I thought I had you nailed as a closet Hello Kitty fan."

"It would seem that even Yuki Sohma has an inner child," Hanajima drawled, still absorbed in her novel—one of Shigure's latest.

Mayuko plucked the phone from Yuki's tight fist. "You know what this means, Sohma. Detention after school. My room. Three o'clock. Understood?"

He nodded meekly, and prepared himself for his first detention. Ever.

Yuki was beginning to hate cell phones. And Kakeru Manabe. Very, very much.

* * *

Yuki stared lazily at the plain school walls of the empty classroom, counting the amount of cracks in the plaster for the eighteenth time. School had ended about a half-hour ago, and he'd forced himself to do his homework, and read some more of that novel (_Jane Eyre_, apparently) that Mayuko had assigned until he had nothing more to do. Mayuko sat at her desk, occasionally glancing up from her computer to see Yuki sitting there obediently, and finally stood up.

"Alright, Sohma, you've done your time. You can go free."

Thank God. Yuki got up, a little giddy yet a little irate, and gathered his belongings. Of course the worst would be yet to come; Shigure would get onto him about it, Kyo would gloat, and Hiro would make some scathing comment (from the looks of things, he'd be coming with Kisa again).

So when Mayuko handed him his cell phone, Yuki forced a smile and spoke, "Thank you," in a cold, tense voice as he held it in his hands.

Maybe he could throw it away, he thought as he walked down the hallway. Certainly he'd never have to deal with it again if he chucked it into a school dumpster. But no, no: this phone deserved greater torture than that. He could boil it, but no, too dangerous. Crush it to tiny pieces, perhaps? Blend it? Hurl it as far away as humanly possible?

"_Go, go, Power Rangers!"_

The muscles in Yuki's body tensed. No, he was thinking about this all wrong. The phone didn't deserve punishment; it was his stupid, meddling, sentai-obsessed vice president's fault.

"_Go, go, Power Rangers!"_

"What is it now?!" Yuki snapped, his voice rising. "I don't care anymore, okay?! I don't care if you want to go on a date, or if you just want to talk, or if you're even trapped in a burning building! I. Don't. Care. And I don't care if I'm harsh. You know what I've been through because of you? I've embarrassed myself in front of my friends and family, I've lost sleep, and I've wound up in detention! I have never been in detention in my _life_, okay?! So you are the last person I want to hear from right now, and I don't care if you never call me again. In fact, don't. I won't answer. Understand?"

A long, drawn-out silence lasted on the other side until a quiet voice murmured, "_Um…okay. Kakeru told me to call and tell you we'd canceled today's Student Council meeting. So, now you know."_

Something hot burned in Yuki's cheeks as his face turned from one shade of red to another. "W-wait—Machi, that is—"

"_And one more thing. Press # on your phone and hold it."_

He blinked. "Why?"

"_Silent mode." _A small giggle, or something like it, sounded through the static. _"I think you need it."_

And Yuki, speechless with thanks, held onto the phone as Machi—that kind, heaven-sent angel whose beautiful news had delivered him from insanity—hung up and went to go deliver a very, very long message to her brother.

* * *

**End Note: **Really, when Yuki got a cell phone, I thought, "Oh no, Kakeru's gonna make his life miserable." For some reason in the manga, he didn't. But it makes for good fanfiction plots though, eh? Anyway, I got to stick Hiro in there! Yes! It's fun to stick in non-Student Council characters.


End file.
